Roeslein’s Continuous Improvement (CI) program was formed in 2017 to help the company become a highly effective and efficient organization through a culture of continuous improvement and professional development. Employees can submit ideas through an employee portal and are recognized for the implementation of their ideas through a points system and company-wide recognition awards. This program is derived from a Lean Project Management system uniltizing Kanban-style idea boards, both digital and analog.
Roeslein Modular Fabrication (RMF), located in Red Bud, Illinois, is Roeslein’s largest manufacturing facility and is just one of its many global locations that have taken advantage of the CI program since its inception. RMF’s General Manager, Brian Hanger, makes it a priority to have an in-depth understanding about each of the ideas for his location from the idea stage through completion. He plays a significant role in ensuring that each idea is implemented and rolled out effectively and efficiently in line with the mission of the CI program.
Brian reported that having the committee has eliminated assembly constraints, increased capabilities in structural shops, and decreased overall project costs. “We did a complete re-layout of the assembly space for our panel shop. We were able to maximize the assembly space for increased manpower and improve the workflow of our panel shop.”
Continuous Improvement Ideas can be as small as the 5S organization of a print room to implementing a conveyance motor layout drawing to eliminate onsite work. When employees suggest ideas, those ideas must solve one of the identifying wastes the company has identified: Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Intellect, Waiting, Over-Production, Over-Processing, and Defects. The Continuous Improvement Committee reviews these ideas and assigns them to Promotional Teams for review.
“There is one that I think is probably more significant than anything else that’s on the board right now. That idea is titled Polishing Machines. This idea suggests that we replace some of the extensive manual labor that we currently use that is required for all of our conveyor manufacturing locations and to replace that with a machine to assist,” said Brian Hanger. “We don’t have an answer for that yet; we’re working on it. But when we successfully complete this idea, it’ll benefit all six of our manufacturing locations. I’m really excited about that.”
Scalability is an important aspect of Roeslein’s CI Program. When ideas are generated, they are evaluated for viability for implementation at each of Roesleins’ nine global locations. Ideas have the potential to alleviate pain points across department functions, as the company’s engineering and manufacturing facilities work closely to drive a project to successful execution.
When employees submit ideas, they have the possibility to earn even more Idea Dollars with every “like” they get on an idea from their colleagues. When submitting the ideas, employees can describe the idea in its entirety, identify the waste and benefit type, and show the potential savings or revenue that the idea could produce. To ensure visibility of the program and notify employees of any ideas submitted and completed, a monthly Continuous Improvement Newsletter is distributed to all employees globally.
Roeslein & Associates was founded in 1990, specializing in engineering, manufacturing, and construction services. The company has product offerings in both the container manufacturing industry and the process and energy sectors. Its 1000+ employees are spread throughout offices in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. To find out more, please visit www.roeslein.com.